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Seeds of a Dandelion (novel)
Seeds of a Dandelion is a 2015 philosophical drama novel by Australian author Philip Graham, set to be released in 2015 by Sarasota Square. The novel follows two main characters, Jonathan Briggs and Benjamin Gibbins, teenagers who become best friends and life partners throughout their time in high school. Their relationship, however, is cut short after Jonathan commits suicide, leaving the socially inept Benjamin on his own to follow, maintain and teach the qualities that Jonathan had taught him throughout their time as close partners. Greatly inspired by Graham's own life experiences and philosophical views, conversations between him and close friends, the experiences of others and Graham's memories of past friendships, Dandelion explores human nature, and presents the novel's two main characters as both sharing views of a better world for humanity. The narrative, presented in the journalistic first-person perspective of Benjamin, is composed of two timelines running concurrently; one timeline revolving around Jonathan and Benjamin's relationship throughout high school and the other revolving around Benjamin's journey to live up to his companion, alongside the emotionally distraught Charity Daley, after Jonathan commits suicide. The novel was produced in a relatively short timespan, taking Graham just over a year to write, compared to most of Graham's other novels which spend many years in development. Dandelion has yet to be unveiled by Graham to the general public, however, it is set to be one of four novels Graham will be working on strictly towards publishing, alongside Tharis, The Great Leader and Halifax, after Sarasota Square's 5th Anniversary in July 2014, penned to be Graham's first major published work. Sypnosis 'Characters' Gibbins Family *'Benjamin Gibbins' - The narrator of the story. Benjamin is a kind and gentle person who doesn't preach hate upon anyone. He is calm, collected and a typically submissive character. He had secluded himself from society from an early age, knowing and understanding well of the burden and hate of humanity from observing his peers being bullied in primary school and constantly watching news of the War in Afghanistan and Iraq growing up. He is bisexual, much like Jonathan Briggs, and sees Jonathan as the only friend he has, ultimately engaging in an intimate intimate relationship with him. *Joshua Gibbins - Benjamin's father. *Madeline Gibbins - Benjamin's mother. Briggs Family *'Jonathan Briggs' - Jonathan shared the same emotional qualities as Benjamin when they first met in the seventh grade. He also shares the same views as Benjamin, and has been vocal about his views since primary school. Having gained the following and interest of many other students in the school, his mental state starts to deteriorate into a violent, sociopathic person when they start bullying him and his personal life starts to decay. *'Jeremy Briggs' - Jonathan's father. Jeremy is a humble, kind and generous person, willing to help and assist Jonathan in every way possible. Being an loving and understanding person, he is supportive of Jonathan and Benjamin's relationship, and becomes a mentor for Benjamin, especially after Jonathan's suicide. *Qiáng Jìng Briggs - Jonathan's mother. An emotionally fragile person, she was the victim of Australia's strict immigration system after immigrating from China. Relying on Jeremy's love and support, she has negative feelings towards humanity and had taught Jonathan everything he knew about ethics. She is highly supportive of Benjamin and his relationship with Jonathan and sympathises with Benjamin's decision to disconnect from society. Others *'Chelsea "Charity" Daley' - A mutal friend of Jonathan and, after Jonathan's death, a close supporter of Benjamin. She is a cheerful, light-hearted person who was entrusted by Jonathan as a "sidekick", and a person to go to for help if Benjamin is either not immediately accessible to him or for help that Jonathan would rather not talk to Benjamin about. She becomes close with Benjamin after Jonathan's passing, both relating with their memories and feelinga about Jonathan. 'Setting' , a cliff formation overlooking the Tasman Sea, served as the inspiration for "The Cliff", the sea-side location where Jonathan and Benjamin meet up after school; inspired both by it's scenic location and it's noterity as a popular suicide location.]] While the setting of the novel was originally meant to be ambiguous, intending to be relatable to any part of society, Seeds of a Dandelion is predominantly set in a partly fictionalised version of Sydney, w:Australia, where Graham himself resides. Benjamin Gibbins lives in the Eastern suburbs, while Jonathan Briggs lives in the Canterbury-Bankstown district. The majority of the story is set in a fictional high school close to Benjamin's residence, in which Jonathan and Benjamin attend. A significant part of the story also takes place in a park overlooking the sea, where the pair meet on afternoons on a park bench facing the sea. The novel also follows the pair through various locations in which Jonathan invites Benjamin to, such as various fairs, trips to scenic locations around the city and even a drive to the outback to stargaze. 'Plot' The novel is presented in two timelines, presented in parts, with the timeline switching from one to another consistently through successive chapters, The first timeline takes place after Jonathan's suicide, where Benjamin attempts to break out of his seclusion from society and open himself up to the world, in an effort to carry Jonathan's legacy and make efforts to change the hateful ways of society one step at a time. The second timeline, which takes place before Jonathan's suicide, follows the friendship between Jonathan and Benjamin as the first meet and follows the pair throughout their lives as their friendship becomes stronger and evolves into an intimate relationship. Background Seeds of a Dandelion was conceived during a time of great depression in Graham's life. While Graham himself never contemplated suicide himself because of moral reasons, the thought of suicide and reading stories about teenage suicide inspired Graham to write a short story. The original story, which would become the basis of Seeds of a Dandelion, revolved around a singular character, Jonathan, who, after being victimised by his peers and constantly exposed to news of war and hatred in the media, he decides to commit suicide after completely losing faith in himself and in humanity as a whole. Promotion Chapters References External links Category:Browse